Nursing is responsible for servicing all hospitalized patients, including the elderly, in general hospitals. The objective of this study was to analyze the interaction process from the nursing team which cares for elderly patients in hospitals of the 17th Health Regional Coordination/Health State Secretary/Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This interpretative and qualitative study collected its data through interviews with 74 nursing team members, including nurses, technicians, and nursing assistants in 14 hospitals. Data was analyzed in the light of symbolic interactionism and resulting in categories of meanings from interactions and attitude about: nursing professionals, lack of capacitance validity, process of caring hospitalized elderly patients from the way the phenomenon is in their social life; on the attitude, it is considered the importance of specialized training in gerontogeriatry without disregarding personal vocation to the care of the elderly as essential.
Geriatric nursing; Aged; Nursing care; Hospitalization